"But I was involved in campaigns to achieve an outcome ... I must admit to being a little bewildered about some of the things they have been saying.

"For many months I have been asking to meet with them to work in a constructive way through their issues, we may not always see eye to eye but I have shown through my work with many groups a commitment to do the best I can to make a difference ... but yet they refuse to meet with me."

Association president Pat Allen said before his appointment last January, all five branches of the Police Association had supported a vote of no confidence in the minister.

"There is history between the minister and the Police Association," Mr Allen said.

"They had taken many issues before him and he failed to act on them."

Mr Allen said he had met informally with Mr O'Byrne several times, but the Police Association had decided formal discussions were not necessary because the minister had not acted on previous issues taken before him, including concerns about single-member response models, budget cuts, police numbers and radio network issues.

About 99 per cent of police officers are estimated to be members of the Police Association

Mr Allen last night said he could not say how many officers voted in the original no-confidence motion, which was not subject to a full membership ballot.

But he said members would pay for a plebiscite if anyone doubted the numbers.

Mr Allen said members had agreed on two more occasions since late 2012 that the no-confidence motion would remain in place.

In the letter to the Mercury, Mr O'Byrne says "it is hard to work with anyone and build a way forward when they refuse to even meet".

Comments on this story

Doesn't this remind you of the owner of a consultancy business who is bewildered that no one wants to use his service, when he is certain that they all need it 'cause it's so brilliant?

Elizabeth Hastings of New Town Posted at 11:54 AM January 25, 2014

Basic question is - if we have the same number of police officers per capita as other states, why would we need any more? Tasmania is hardly the crime capital of the world.

Kelvin Markham of Hobart Posted at 2:09 AM January 25, 2014

Mr OByrne won't have to worry about it much longer and it's evident from some of the comments here that even Labor supporters have given up. I hope that the Libs form government with a majority but that there are one or two PUP members in the mix so that ordinary people get a voice in the next parliament. We need a minister to whom police are prepared to be accountable. Hopefully we get that after 15 March.

Rob James of Oatlands Posted at 10:32 PM January 24, 2014

Bart, I think you will actually find that the Commissioner told the Government that there was no way to make the necessary savings within the police budget without cutting numbers. When roughly 80% of the total budget for a Department is already expended on wages, there's not much room to "trim the fat". DPEM doesn't have the "discretionary" (read non-salaried budget allocations) of some other Departments. Having been told that, it seems the Minister was happy to accept that DPEM make the savings the only way they could; despite having made significant savings year after year, whilst other areas of Government continued to suffer budget "blow outs"...
For that - failure to support the Department he oversights and represents - the Minster needs to take responsibility.

brett wilson of hobart Posted at 10:06 PM January 24, 2014

one only has to travel the east coast and see the number of liberal candidate signs outside of properties and homes that have been life long labor supporters, so O'Bryne you should not be bewildered by the Police Union stand - it is all about too little action when you have had the chance and too late to try to convince the people of Tasmania that you have the goods. The track record for you, other labor ministers, and your absolutely clueless leader is about to meet its maker. so long, good bye, its time for you to go

Rob James of Oatlands Posted at 8:55 PM January 24, 2014

Lee Vincent Smith can I suggest that you continue to embrace the Philipinnes way of ecomonic growth and prosperity, where cronyism and neptism are non-existent, in such a free market economy; obviously also free of corruption, oppression and a strong policing "service". You moved away from Tasmania for your own reasons, so presumably you are not a voter in this State anymore.
As for the "...thousands of Tasmanians [who] would [be] glad to be taking a cops pay and conditions home each week", perhaps a hundred or so will get a chance if police numbers are increased, although I doubt that the "pay and conditions" are as dreamy as you and John Still suggest...

Norman Hill of North Hobart Posted at 7:19 PM January 24, 2014

What an absolute goose this minister must be... And there are some that have suggested he could replace the premier.... OMG..... Is this as good as it gets for the Labor Party